Kimpton in Telford and Glasgow: heat pump and MEP design notes for project teams
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
Kimpton is completing a £5m mechanical package at Telford’s Station Quarter, a six-storey scheme with 84 apartments, a commercial unit and a Hampton by Hilton hotel, installing hard-piped traditional bathrooms and individual air source heat pumps in each flat. In Glasgow, the firm is starting a £6.2m mechanical installation at Portcullis House, a 784-room student block for Watkin Jones, including a centralised air source heat pump, full sprinkler coverage, wet risers, air conditioning and drainage. The projects signal growing adoption of heat pumps and a shift back from bathroom pods to longer-life traditional fit-outs.
Technical Brief
- Kimpton’s high-rise MEP division delivers a £5m hot water and plumbing package at Station Quarter.
- Station Quarter works are for main contractor Bowmer & Kirkland, coordinated with Blues Electrical on services.
- Hard-piped bathrooms are described as higher capex but lower whole-life replacement and upgrade cost.
- Portcullis House in Glasgow comprises 784 student rooms, driving large-scale central plant and distribution design.
- The Glasgow scope is a £6.2m mechanical installation for Watkin Jones, covering full building services.
- Fire systems at Portcullis House include a full sprinkler installation and wet risers to all levels.
- Mechanical scope in Glasgow also integrates air conditioning, drainage and domestic water with the central heat pump.
- Kimpton notes bespoke, safety-anchored solutions for complex high-rise residential MEP as a differentiator on both schemes.
Our Take
Bowmer & Kirkland’s presence at Telford aligns with its growing education and student‑living workload seen in the £274m Castle Leazes redevelopment and Department for Education school contracts, suggesting the contractor is building a strong pipeline in mid‑ to high‑rise accommodation and institutional buildings where services coordination is critical.
Within our 809 Infrastructure stories, relatively few highlight mechanical packages above the £5m mark, so the Telford and Glasgow awards position Kimpton towards the upper end of UK building‑services contractors by project scale, which can influence how early they are engaged in design for energy and sustainability outcomes.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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